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Articles from Vol. 12, No. 1, Spring

1988-1998: Looking Back on the Legal Fight for Abortion

On January 28, 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down Canada's abortion law, Section 251 of the Criminal Code. The Court ruled that forcing a woman to secure the permission of a therapeutic abortion committee to have an abortion interfered with...

1988-1998: Looking Back on the Legal Fight for AbortionOn January 28, 1988, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down Canada's abortion law, Section 251 of the Criminal Code. The Court ruled that forcing a woman to secure the permission of a therapeutic...

I have spent the past week in Cultural Revolution China. What I should say, to clarify, is: no, not literally, it was nothing more than a book I read. But A Leaf in the Bitter Wind, Ting-Xing Ye's memoir of her 35 years living in Chairman Mao's and then...

A LEAF IN THE BITTER WINDI have spent the past week in Cultural Revolution China. What I should say, to clarify, is: no, not literally, it was nothing more than a book I read. But A Leaf in the Bitter Wind, Ting-Xing Ye's memoir of her 35 years living...

A PASSIONATE PEN: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF FAITH FENTONBefore I read this book I had never heard of journalist Faith Fenton or school-teacher Alice Freeman. I soon learned that the two women were actually one. While teaching was an acceptable profession...

Before I read this book I had never heard of journalist Faith Fenton or school-teacher Alice Freeman. I soon learned that the two women were actually one. While teaching was an acceptable profession for a young woman born in Bowmanville, Ontario, in...

On a warm June night in Toronto, Elana Dykewomon stood on a dusty stage and explained to the audience that her desire in Beyond the Pale had been to write a 'plausible lesbian' novel situated in the Pale of Settlement and the turn of the century Ashkenazy...

BEYOND THE PALEOn a warm June night in Toronto, Elana Dykewomon stood on a dusty stage and explained to the audience that her desire in Beyond the Pale had been to write a `plausible lesbian' novel situated in the Pale of Settlement and the turn of the...

body WISE: Confounding the StereotypesThe arrest of a group of teenaged girls in connection with the death of Reena Virk last November in Victoria resulted in a few days of intense media coverage that raised the issue of female violence and its prevalence....

CALL ME CRAZYCall Me Crazy is actually many books in one. It is the personal story of a psychiatric survivor; it is a critical look at the way the psychiatric system abuses those it purports to serve; it is a self-help guide for those struggling with...

Call Me Crazy is actually many books in one. It is the personal story of a psychiatric survivor; it is a critical look at the way the psychiatric system abuses those it purports to serve; it is a self-help guide for those struggling with this system;...

Caught In The Act: High Needs Women Shut Out(OTTAWA) In the past 23 years, the Women's Career Counselling Service (WCC) of Ottawa has helped over 20,000 women find work and gain the skills they need to get back into the workforce.Today, the Centre finds...

Caught in the Act: High Needs Women Shut out [Women's Career Counselling Service of Ottawa]

(OTTAWA) In the past 23 years, the Women's Career Counselling Service (WCC) of Ottawa has helped over 20,000 women find work and gain the skills they need to get back into the workforce.Today, the Centre finds itself caught in a Catch 22 situation. The...

CLAYOQUOT THE SOUND OF MY HEARTCaring deeply about the preservation of wildness, I had been prepared to like this lifestory of a 60-year-old, self-taught feminist who had raised eight children, picketed for unions, fought racism in her children's school,...

Caring deeply about the preservation of wildness, I had been prepared to like this lifestory of a 60-year-old, self-taught feminist who had raised eight children, picketed for unions, fought racism in her children's school, marched in Vietnam War protests...

Cole's NOTES: Have Creeps Become Cool?Boy goes through hell pursuing lesbian in Chasing Amy. Dirty secrets of the late-night talk show game are unveiled on The Larry Sanders Show. Newscast producer shows his way creepy side in last spring's CBC sitcom...

The arrest of a group of teenaged girls in connection with the death of Reena Virk last November in Victoria resulted in a few days of intense media coverage that raised the issue of female violence and its prevalence. A number of other recent acts of...

The year is 2008 and health care funding is nearly sapped. You're careening down the street, late for one of your part-time jobs, when you hear the distant whine of an ambulance. In fiscally better days, you didn't know for whom the siren tolled. You...

In the 90s, finding an alternative to big business isn't easy. Often, it's impossible to know whether or not an article of clothing was made in a sweatshop. But at 52 Inc., 394 College St. in Toronto, 23-year old owners Kate Cassidy and Amy Katz are...

Dishing Up a Difference at 52 Inc.In the 90s, finding an alternative to big business isn't easy. Often, it's impossible to know whether or not an article of clothing was made in a sweatshop. But at 52 Inc., 394 College St. in Toronto, 23-year old owners...

Dear Hillary:Boot him.Doesn't matter if he fetches himself up impeached; doesn't matter if he lied or if he's telling the truth; doesn't matter if the whole thing blows over and is forgotten. He's still bad husband material, so dump him. Do not wait...

In an electronic viewing world consisting increasingly of dumbed-down news reports, hackneyed sound bites, and infomercials, when a documentary packed with challenging and valuable information comes along, it's almost too much to take. Exposure: Environmental...

I wanted to see the film that received standing ovations at the Toronto International and New York film festivals. The film that made men threaten director Deepa Mehta and made women stand up against men who accused Mehta of 'misleading their women'....

FIREI wanted to see the film that received standing ovations at the Toronto International and New York film festivals. The film that made men threaten director Deepa Mehta and made women stand up against men who accused Mehta of `misleading their women'....

Boy goes through hell pursuing lesbian in Chasing Amy. Dirty secrets of the late-night talk show game are unveiled on The Larry Sanders Show. Newscast producer shows his way creepy side in last spring's CBC sitcom The Newsroom. What's going on? It looks...

HOLY SMOKEHaving a name, that rhymes with "scuzzy' means that you probably grow up cultivating incredible strength of character. And that's exactly what makes Suzzy Roche's first solo album, Holy Smokes, so delightful. A collection of quirky little songs...

The smell of fresh bread greets me as I enter my friends' home. Although it's Susan who is in labour, Dave has his own 'bun in the oven', and frets over whether it's rising properly. Soft lights and gentle music surround Susan, moaning softly as a contraction...

Home birth brings family, friends togetherThe smell of fresh bread greets me as I enter my friends home. Although it's Susan who is in labour, Dave has his own `bun in the oven', and frets over whether it's rising properly. Soft lights and gentle music...

HUNGERBursting onto the folk/pop scene in 1966, Janis Ian, a 15-year-old singer-songwriter made an immediate impact with "Society's Child." With its theme of interracial love, Ian's first single sparked a great deal of controversy.Ian's early commercial...

Disc jockeys generally come in two sexes: male and female. "So what," you may think, "sex doesn't matter." Oh but it does. On any given night, one or two 'little things' might happen, but until recently, I never gave it much thought.I had agreed to fill...

I Am Deejay Hear Me RoarDisc jockeys generally come in two sexes: male and female. "So what," you may think, "sex doesn't matter." Oh but it does. On any given night, one or two `little things' might happen, but until recently, I never gave it much thought.I...

Bursting onto the folk/pop scene in 1966, Janis Ian, a 15-year-old singer-songwriter made an immediate impact with "Society's Child." With its theme of interracial love, Ian's first single sparked a great deal of controversy.Ian's early commercial success...

Love, loss and a place to call home are the themes that haunt three women in Dionne Brand's exquisite first novel, In Another Place, Not Here. Written in prose that takes your breath away-first with its beauty, and then with its emotional acuity, Brand...

IN ANOTHER PLACE, NOT HERELove, loss and a place to call home are the themes that haunt three women in Dionne Brand's exquisite first novel, In Another Place, Not Here. Written in prose that takes your breath away-first with its beauty, and then with...

I accidently left this book in the change room after my child's swimming lessons and when I came back, I found a woman flipping through it. She was interested in the book, she said, because she had grown up in a Mennonite colony in Paraguay and women...

IN HER OWN VOICE: CHILDBIRTH STORIES FROM MENNONITE WOMENI accidently left this book in the change room after my child's swimming lessons and when I came back, I found a woman flipping through it. She was interested in the book, she said, because she...

Nurses Reach Out to Assault Victims(TORONTO) The Durham Region Sexual Assault Care Centre is one of seven centres across Ontario participating in a pilot project on domestic violence.Shirley Burnett, program manager at SACC, says the program is a multi-discipline...

Nurses Reach out to Assault Victims [Pilot Programs by the Ontario Women's Directorate]

(TORONTO) The Durham Region Sexual Assault Care Centre is one of seven centres across Ontario participating in a pilot project on domestic violence.Shirley Burnett, program manager at SACC, says the program is a multi-discipline approach to domestic...

on the EDGE: Dump him, HilDear Hillary: Boot him. Doesn't matter if he fetches himself up impeached; doesn't matter if he lied or if he's telling the truth; doesn't matter if the whole thing blows over and is forgotten. He's still bad husband material,...

In the midst of a snow storm, the 28th day of Wintarmanoth, 814, a child is about to be born to a Saxon mother and a village canon. Hrotrud, the village midwife in Ingelheim, a village in what is now Germany, arrives with severely frozen feet and is...

POPE JOANIn the midst of a snow storm, the 28th day of Wintarmanoth, 814, a child is about to be born to a Saxon mother and a village canon. Hrotrud, the village midwife in Ingelheim, a village in what is now Germany, arrives with severely frozen feet...

My early days in the abortion rights movement of the late 70s were a time of political awakening for me. Marked by the excitement of new experiences-demonstrations, lobbying and my first forays into media work--it is etched vividly in my memory.For me,...

Reflections of an Abortion ActivistMy early days in the abortion rights movement of the late 70s were a time of political awakening for me. Marked by the excitement of new experiences -- demonstrations, lobbying and my first forays into media work --...

Having a name that rhymes with "scuzzy" means that you probably grow up cultivating incredible strength of character. And that's exactly what makes Suzzy Roche's first solo album, Holy Smokes, so delightful. A collection of quirky little songs about...

(COLOMBO) Susanthika Jayasinghe has become a household word among Sri Lankans. Asia's fastest woman boldly predicts she will bag the gold medal in the Women's 200m and 100m events at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She's been getting a lot of attention...

Sri-Lankan Sprinter Breaks Records(COLOMBO) Susanthika Jayasinghe has become a household word among Sri Lankans. Asia's fastest woman boldly predicts she will bag the gold medal in the Women's 200m and 100m events at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. She's...

Stopping the Cycle of Violence: Sista's are Doin It(VANCOUVER) A new crop of programs is springing up across the country whose sole focus is preventing violence against girls and women.By getting at the root of the problem through such means as popular...

Stopping the Cycle of Violence: Sista's Are Doin It [Vancouver & Winnipeg Projects]

(VANCOUVER) A new crop of programs is springing up across the country whose sole focus is preventing violence against girls and women.By getting at the root of the problem through such means as popular education and video production, two community agencies...

Supreme Court Refuses to Order Confinement of Pregnant WomanIn a 7-2, decision the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Canadian courts do not have jurisdiction to order the confinement of a pregnant woman addicted to glue sniffing. In speaking for the...

In a 7-2, decision the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Canadian courts do not have jurisdiction to order the confinement of a pregnant woman addicted to glue sniffing. In speaking for the majority, Justice Beverley McLachlin concluded that "the common...

the BUZZ: Discriminating JudgmentThe year is 2008 and health are funding is nearly sapped. You're careening down the street, late for one of your part-time jobs, when you hear the distant whine of an ambulance. In fiscally better days, you didn't know...

the last WORD: Let's get records out of the courtsIt is crystal clear now, if it wasn't already, that the courts have not heard us, do not want to hear us, will not hear us, on the issue of women's equality and production of records. It has been the...

TWO DREAMS: NEW AND SELECTED STORIESShirley Geok-Lin Lim's collection of short stories, Two Dreams: New and Selected Stories, examines the interlinked processes of becoming -- becoming a girl/woman, becoming immigrant, becoming `other.' Each story is...

Shirley Geok-Lin Lim's collection of short stories, Two Dreams: New and Selected Stories, examines the interlinked processes of becoming-becoming a girl/woman, becoming immigrant, becoming 'other.' Each story is a journey powered by the structural imbalances...

WHEN SHE WAS BAD: VIOLENT WOMEN AND THE MYTH OF INNOCENCEThe publication of Patricia Pearson's book comes at a time when media reports of escalating violence amoung teen-aged girls are becoming more common. It is therefore a timely book.A Canadian journalist...

The publication of Patricia Pearson's book comes at a time when media reports of escalating violence amoung teen-aged girls are becoming more common. It is therefore a timely book.A Canadian journalist based in Toronto, Pearson has become an expert on...

Women of the World Unite to Protest as APEC Meeting [Second International Women's Conference against APEC]

(VANCOUVER) Along with 400 women from around the world, I spent two days in November at the Second International Women's Conference Against APEC at Vancouver's Plaza of Nations. The underlying purpose of this conference was education--learning about...

Women of the World Unite to Protest at APEC Meeting(VANCOUVER) Along with 400 women from around the world, I spent two days in November at the Second International Women's Conference Against APEC at Vancouver's Plaza of Nations. The underlying purpose...

Joan Grant-Cummings, president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC), believes fundamentally in the power of change."I know things can change, I've seen changes," Grant-Cummings says on a sleety Toronto afternoon in early January,...

Working from the Ground Up: An Interview with Joan Grant CummingsJoan Grant-Cummings, president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC), believes fundamentally in the power of change."I know things can change, I've seen changes,"...

Woman abuse is a serious issue. So, you'd expect a film about violence faced by women to be just that. Unless, of course, Gail Singer is the director, writer and co-producer of the project.During a premiere benefit screening of You Can't Beat A Woman...

YOU CAN'T BEAT A WOMANWoman abuse is a serious issue. So, you'd expect a film about violence faced by women to be just that. Unless, of course, Gail Singer is the director, writer and coproducer of the project.During a premiere benefit screening of You...

"You're Too Young. Besides, What If Your Next Husband Wants More Children?"

(HAMILTON) Three months after the birth of her seventh child, Linda sat alone, across from three male doctors, trying to explain why she should be allowed surgery to prevent any further births. Seven children in 10 years was enough, reasoned the young...

"You're Too Young. Besides, What If Your Next Husband Wants More Children?"

"You're too young. Besides, what if your next husband wants more children?"(HAMILTON) Three months after the birth of her seventh child, Linda sat alone, across from three male doctors, trying to explain why she should be allowed surgery to prevent any...